Topic 45: Weaker Sections – Women, Dalits, SC/ST

Q: What are the five major problems faced by tribal communities in India?

Five major tribal problems: (1) **Land alienation** — loss of ancestral land despite PESA 1996 and FRA 2006; (2) **Educational backwardness** — ST literacy 59% vs. national 73%; (3) **Forest rights denial** — 40% FRA claims rejected; (4) **Displacement** by dams, mines, and national parks; (5) **Health deprivation** — child stunting ~42%, high infant mortality.

Study Material

Paper Paper I

Unit 3

1. Constitutional provisions for SC/ST: Article 15(4) — state can make special provisions for SC/ST and socially/educationally backward classes; Article 16(4) — reservation in public employment; Article 17 — abolition of untouchability; Article 46 — promote educational and economic interests of SC/ST and weaker sections.
2. SC/ST population (Census 2011): Scheduled Castes = 16.6% (20.14 crore) of India's population; Scheduled Tribes = 8.6% (10.43 crore); both groups are disproportionately represented among India's poor, with SC and ST MPI poverty rates far exceeding national average of 11.28% (NITI Aayog MPI 2023).
3. SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (POA Act) — prevents atrocities against SCs and STs; provides special courts and fast-track trials; NCRB 2022 recorded 51,656 atrocities against SCs (UP highest — 14,922) and 9,735 atrocities against STs; 2015 Amendment added new offences (garlanding with footwear, social boycott, manual scavenging).
4. Women's constitutional provisions: Article 15(3) — state can make special provisions for women; Article 39(a) — equal right to adequate livelihood; Article 39(d) — equal pay for equal work; Article 51A(e) — fundamental duty to renounce practices derogatory to women's dignity; 73rd and 74th Amendments — 1/3rd reservation for women in Panchayats/ULBs (50% in many states including Rajasthan).
5. PESA (Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 — extends Panchayati Raj to 5th Schedule areas (tribal regions); mandates Gram Sabha consent for land acquisition, minor forest produce rights, minor water bodies, and regulation of liquor; covers 10 states with 5th Schedule areas including Rajasthan (Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh, etc.).
6. Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 — recognises individual and community rights of forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers; grants title deeds (*pattas*) for land cultivated before December 13, 2005; over 23 lakh titles distributed nationally (2023); Rajasthan has distributed titles in Banswara, Dungarpur, and Udaipur tribal areas.
7. Women-specific legislation: Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005; Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013 (POSH); Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 — paid maternity leave increased from 12 to 26 weeks; Equal Remuneration Act, 1976; Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 — marriage below 18 (girls), 21 (boys) illegal.
8. Garasia Tribe (Rajasthan): One of Rajasthan's major tribes (approx. 2.75 lakh, mainly in Sirohi, Udaipur, Rajsamand); known for the Nakeli/Varun Mata forest deity; practice of trial marriage (*moha*) before formal marriage; traditionally semi-nomadic; covered under PESA and FRA provisions; government schemes include PM Jan Dhan (financial inclusion) and Eklavya Model Residential Schools.
9. PM Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY): Financial inclusion for weaker sections; 52 crore accounts opened since 2014; zero-balance accounts; ₹2 lakh accident insurance + ₹30,000 life cover; significant penetration among SC/ST/women (56% accounts held by women, 67% in rural/semi-urban).
10. Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS): Residential schools for ST children in areas with >50% ST population (or above 20,000 ST population); funded centrally; 740 EMRS sanctioned (2023), aiming 1 per block with ST concentration; each school for 480 students (Classes VI–XII).
11. Manual Scavenging: Prohibited under Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013; yet 58,098 manual scavengers identified nationally (2023 survey); most are Dalit women; NAMASTE scheme (2022) — National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem — aims to eliminate manual scavenging by 2024 through mechanization.
12. Women's reservation (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023): 128th Constitutional Amendment; reserves 33% seats in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies for women; will come into force after next delimitation (expected post-2026 census); at present only ~15% MPs are women in Lok Sabha (2024).

Key facts

Constitutional provisions for SC/ST: Article 15(4)
SC/ST population (Census 2011): Scheduled Castes = 16.6% (20.14 crore) of India's population; Scheduled Tribes = 8.6% (10.43 crore);
SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (POA Act)
Women's constitutional provisions: Article 15(3) — state can make special provisions for women; Article 39(a)
PESA (Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996

Key Points at a Glance

1
Constitutional provisions for SC/ST: Article 15(4) — state can make special provisions for SC/ST and socially/educationally backward classes; Article 16(4) — reservation in public employment; Article 17 — abolition of untouchability; Article 46 — promote educational and economic interests of SC/ST and weaker sections.
2
SC/ST population (Census 2011): Scheduled Castes = 16.6% (20.14 crore) of India's population; Scheduled Tribes = 8.6% (10.43 crore); both groups are disproportionately represented among India's poor, with SC and ST MPI poverty rates far exceeding national average of 11.28% (NITI Aayog MPI 2023).
3
SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (POA Act) — prevents atrocities against SCs and STs; provides special courts and fast-track trials; NCRB 2022 recorded 51,656 atrocities against SCs (UP highest — 14,922) and 9,735 atrocities against STs; 2015 Amendment added new offences (garlanding with footwear, social boycott, manual scavenging).
4
Women's constitutional provisions: Article 15(3) — state can make special provisions for women; Article 39(a) — equal right to adequate livelihood; Article 39(d) — equal pay for equal work; Article 51A(e) — fundamental duty to renounce practices derogatory to women's dignity; 73rd and 74th Amendments — 1/3rd reservation for women in Panchayats/ULBs (50% in many states including Rajasthan).
5
PESA (Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 — extends Panchayati Raj to 5th Schedule areas (tribal regions); mandates Gram Sabha consent for land acquisition, minor forest produce rights, minor water bodies, and regulation of liquor; covers 10 states with 5th Schedule areas including Rajasthan (Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh, etc.).
6
Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 — recognises individual and community rights of forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers; grants title deeds (pattas) for land cultivated before December 13, 2005; over 23 lakh titles distributed nationally (2023); Rajasthan has distributed titles in Banswara, Dungarpur, and Udaipur tribal areas.
7
Women-specific legislation: Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005; Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013 (POSH); Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 — paid maternity leave increased from 12 to 26 weeks; Equal Remuneration Act, 1976; Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 — marriage below 18 (girls), 21 (boys) illegal.
8
Garasia Tribe (Rajasthan): One of Rajasthan's major tribes (approx. 2.75 lakh, mainly in Sirohi, Udaipur, Rajsamand); known for the Nakeli/Varun Mata forest deity; practice of trial marriage (moha) before formal marriage; traditionally semi-nomadic; covered under PESA and FRA provisions; government schemes include PM Jan Dhan (financial inclusion) and Eklavya Model Residential Schools.
9
PM Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY): Financial inclusion for weaker sections; 52 crore accounts opened since 2014; zero-balance accounts; ₹2 lakh accident insurance + ₹30,000 life cover; significant penetration among SC/ST/women (56% accounts held by women, 67% in rural/semi-urban).
10
Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS): Residential schools for ST children in areas with >50% ST population (or above 20,000 ST population); funded centrally; 740 EMRS sanctioned (2023), aiming 1 per block with ST concentration; each school for 480 students (Classes VI–XII).
11
Manual Scavenging: Prohibited under Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013; yet 58,098 manual scavengers identified nationally (2023 survey); most are Dalit women; NAMASTE scheme (2022) — National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem — aims to eliminate manual scavenging by 2024 through mechanization.
12
Women's reservation (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023): 128th Constitutional Amendment; reserves 33% seats in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies for women; will come into force after next delimitation (expected post-2026 census); at present only ~15% MPs are women in Lok Sabha (2024).

What is the constitutional mandate for weaker sections in India?

The constitutional mandate for weaker sections in India is to dismantle caste hierarchy, gender discrimination, and economic exclusion through equality rights, protective discrimination, anti-exploitation guarantees, and Directive Principles.

The Indian Constitution is fundamentally committed to social revolution: the dismantling of caste hierarchy, gender discrimination, and economic exclusion. Articles 14-18 (Right to Equality), Articles 19-22 (Right to Freedom), Articles 23-24 (Right against Exploitation), and the Directive Principles (Part IV) together form the constitutional framework for uplifting weaker sections. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs' Census 2011-based table records Rajasthan's Scheduled Tribe population at 92.39 lakh, equal to 13.5% of the state's population, which explains why tribal welfare is a high-yield Rajasthan Mains area.

The PYQ record is unambiguous: Topic 45 (Weaker Sections) is the single most-tested sociology topic in RPSC Mains, averaging 6 marks per year, with tribal welfare and women's rights being the most common sub-questions. The 2026 exam will very likely have at least one 5-mark question - possibly on tribal issues (Garasia tribe is a Rajasthan-specific favourite) or women's welfare schemes.

Key groups covered:

Women - 48.4% of India's population; significant constitutional and legislative protections
Scheduled Castes (Dalits) - 16.6% of population; protected under Article 17 and PoA Act
Scheduled Tribes - 8.6%; protected under 5th/6th Schedule, PESA, FRA
Other Backward Classes (OBCs) - estimated 40-52%; Mandal Commission (1980) recommended 27% reservation
Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) - 2.2% (Census 2011); Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016
Elderly (Senior Citizens) - 10.4% (2021 est.); Senior Citizens Act, 2007

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PREDICTED Predicted RAS Questions

Based on PYQ trends and 2026 syllabus analysis

1 5M What are the five major problems faced by tribal communities in India? 5 marks · 50 words

Model Answer

Five major tribal problems: (1) Land alienation — loss of ancestral land despite PESA 1996 and FRA 2006; (2) Educational backwardness — ST literacy 59% vs. national 73%; (3) Forest rights denial — 40% FRA claims rejected; (4) Displacement by dams, mines, and national parks; (5) Health deprivation — child stunting ~42%, high infant mortality.

~50 words • 5 marks